Wireless devices may access a network based on a carrier sense multiple access (CSMA) protocol in order to avoid simultaneous transmission among neighboring nodes and interference. To that end, a wireless device may listen on a given channel. If the channel is clear, the wireless device may transmit on that channel. But if the channel is being used by another wireless device, the wireless device backs off and waits a certain amount of time (which in some cases can be a random amount of time) before listening and trying to transmit on the channel again.